Our eyes are one of our greatest assets. If we don’t protect our eyes from eye injury, we could quickly and easily lose our vision. It’s important to eliminate or engineer out the hazards that could pose hazards to our eyes. Farming can be a very dangerous occupation, so always keep safety in mind.

Most of the hazards to our eyes while working cannot be fully eliminated so proper eye protection is critical.

Eye hazards

Flying dust

Flying debris

Chemicals

Blunt trauma to the eye

Burns due to UV exposure, such as welder’s flash

Eye safety tips

Identify all of the potential eye hazards in your work area and for your work task

Ensure there are proper safeguards in place to prevent an eye injury

Always wear approved safety glasses, face shield, or goggles. The type of PPE (personal protective equipment) needed will depend on the work task

If you get something in your eye do not rub or scratch it. Rubbing the eye can cause scratching of the cornea resulting in injury. Find an eye wash station or saline bottle to rinse out the object

Do not put yourself in the line of fire of hazards. Stand upwind and out of the line of fire if debris or dust is blowing around the work area.

If there are welding activities going on, ensure there is a protective barrier in place to protect anyone in the area from UV exposure.